Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Facebook sued over payments by minors
Glynnis Bohannon, the mother of a teenage boy, filed a class action lawsuit in March 2012 against Facebook Inc. that challenges the social network's payment policy regarding minors. The suit was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California.
Bohannon claims her son, a minor, asked for permission to spend $20 on Facebook credits. He gave his mother $20 cash, and she provided her credit card number. She claims Facebook marketing then pushed her child into using her card number to purchase several hundred dollars worth of Facebook Credits for the online game he was playing. Bohannon alleges her son purchased the Facebook Credits without even realizing he was making the charges.
Bohannon said she attempted to contact Facebook to cancel the charges and obtain a refund, but she was unable to find anyone at the company to process her complaint. Facebook policy declares all credit sales to be final and nonrefundable.
The suit alleges Facebook violates California law by inducing minors to make unauthorized purchases. The suit also claims Facebook's marketing violates California's Unfair Competition Law prohibiting unfair, unlawful and deceptive business practices.
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